"77OriglItAlt,
Climbing Out
of the Box
he American
Heart Associ-
ation recently
nailed up the
last wall on
the heart dis-
ease risk box.
Added to
smoking, high blood
pressure and high cho-
lesterol levels, is lack of
exercise.
While most people
think of a hospital as a
place to undo the dam-
age inflicted by disease
or lifestyle, Sinai pre-
sents a place to prevent
the injury from ever oc-
curring.
The cardiac rehabil-
itation's Health and
Wellness program of-
fers an opportunity for
the healthy but at-risk
individual to be eval-
uated for his or her fit-
ness level, body fat
content, blood pres-
sure, blood lipids and
dietary habits. That in-
formation directs the
design of a customized,
supervised exercise
program.
"Whatever an indi-
vidual's personal fit-
ness goals are, we'll
help him or her achieve
them," says Tim
Kostelnik, director of
Sinai's Cardiovascular
Fitness Center and
Stress Nuclear Lab.
The Center is respon-
sible for stress testing;
cardiac rehabilitation
services for patients re-
covering from heart at-
tacks, open heart
surgery or other heart
disorders; and preven-
tive services for coro-
nary disease.
The cardiac rehab
service "makes the pa-
tient a student,"
Kostelnik explains,
teaching healthy diet,
exercise and risk re-
duction.
The discharged pa-
tient graduates to a
three-day-a-week ex-
ercise and healthy
habit instruction pro-
gram with specific
guidelines. "It's like
having your own per-
sonal trainer," Kostel-
nik says. Participants
enjoy the social cama-
raderie and, incredibly,
'When they finish the
program, most are in
better shape than most
people who've never
had heart disease."
In the last phase of
the program is a health
club with medical su-
pervision and far more
independence than the
previous phase. Many
patients attend five
days a week for years
— healthy years
they may not have had
at all without the
program.
Kostelnik is proud of
his diversified and tal-
ented support team, in-
cluding: clinical nurse
specialist Dorothy Re-
instein, nurse clini-
cians Susan Proffitt
and Cindy Spears and
exercise specialists
Lisa Russell and Lau-
ren Vander. Together
they are helping pa-
tients live a heart
healthy lifestyle. V
PE NIAIWAIUMMUIVII
Sinai's Cardiovascular Fitness Center offers both cardiac rehabilitation for heart patients and a
Health and Wellness program to stay fit.
For more information
on support groups, clinics
and programs,
call Sinai Hospital at
1-800-248-3627
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Sinai Hospital is centrally located
in metropolitan Detroit on West
Outer Drive just north of West
McNichols / Six Mile Road and
two blocks east of Greenfield. The
main entrance is on West Outer
Drive, and valet parking is avail-
able.
`Maple Road
BIRMI NGHAM
1\
\
ROYAL OAK
oNIN
FARMINGTON
Eight Mil e
q;
1 1 1
FERNDALE
P
us An
mir
Outer Dr e
li
Jet
0
nes Freeway
f
t
LIVONIA
is
Illb..
DEARB ORN
E dset L
"
W .-
t 4,1
ee'
D
Si. ,i , ikk
Add&%*:
' Il
Ford
,,,,,,-.
e,
HO PH
DETROIT '
o
rn
t,AnCr'
9
OAK PAPX
r
ow= _
V